The survey also included a listing of cities whose liveability has declined most in the past five years.

Damascus again fares worst, recording a 28 per cent decline in five years but others on the list include the Russian cities of St Petersburg and Moscow, both declining by 3.3 per cent, Sofia down 3.5 per cent and Athens dropping by 3.7 per cent.

Kiev, capital of Ukraine where pro-Russian rebels are battling Ukrainian forces in the east of the country, dropped 17.8 per cent, the survey found and is ranked 124th of 140.

“The ranking...shows that since 2009 average liveability across the world has fallen by 0.7 percent led by a 1.3 percent fall in the score for stability and safety,” the EIU said in a statement.

“While this may seem marginal, it highlights that over 50 of the cities surveyed have seen declines in liveability over the last five years.

“Recent conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East have underlined continuing fallout from a decade of destabilising events ranging from the war in Iraq to the Palestinian Intifada and the Arab Spring,” it added.